5 Unusual Job Positions on Cruise Ship (2023)

FAQs

What are the crew positions on a cruise ship? ›

There are in general two different types of positions - Deck Officers (Captain; Staff Captain; 1st, 2nd, 3rd Officers; Safety Officer; Security Officer; Deck Cadet) and Deck Ratings - Boatswain/Bosun, Carpenter, Able Seaman Unlimited, Ordinary Seaman Entry Level and Deckhand.

At the bottom are crew members, who are generally responsible for serving guests. They include servers, bartenders, and cleaning staff.

You want to be as close to the pivot point as possible to feel the least movement. Avoid cabins near the front (bow) or back (stern) and on decks higher than the middle deck of the ship. So, on a ship with fourteen passenger decks, your best options are below deck seven.

1. Executive Chef. This position requires both culinary and managerial expertise. An executive chef oversees all menu planning, meal preparation, and galley staff.

A ship's crew can generally be divided into four main categories: the deck department, the engineering department, the steward's department, and other.

Head Waiters

The Head Waiter (often called Chef de Rang) manages and trains all of the Wait Staff within a section of the Dining Room. Various cruise ship restaurants have different needs, but they are usually responsible to: Escort guests to their seat. Provide them with the menus. Make recommendations for wines.

As a cruise server, your job is to work in a restaurant on a ship and provide service to guests of the cruise line.

While the difficulty of the utility galley job exceeds all others on a cruise ship, waiters and room stewards, who clean passenger cabins, also have some of the most difficult jobs, Guilford said.

A third mate (3/M) or third officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The third mate is a watchstander and customarily the ship's safety officer and fourth-in-command (fifth on some ocean liners). The position is junior to a second mate.

Who is the boss on a cruise ship? ›

A cruise director is a high-ranking or senior officer of a cruise ship with responsibility for all onboard hospitality, entertainment and social events, who acts as the public face of the company.

The higher the deck, the better and, often, more panoramic the view. Cabins on top decks aren't always the best on the ship, but many suites and specialty cabin categories are typically located on upper decks.

You may smoke on a cruise ship, but only in designated smoking areas. On most ships operated by U.S. cruise lines, all indoor public spaces are off-limits with the exceptions being the casino (or part of the casino), a cigar lounge (if the ship has one) and one or two other lounges.

Lower Decks

This is because this part of the ship, its lowest and most central area, is the most stable during rough sea conditions.

There are people-intensive occupations at all income levels that would be hard to send offshore, such as child care providers, hair stylists, police, firefighters, chefs, interior designers, attorneys and financial planners. The people you interact with don't necessarily have to be living.

The ocean is the trading route for the planet.

Fourteen percent of U.S. counties that are adjacent to the coast produce 45 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), with over three million jobs (one in 45) directly dependent on the resources of the oceans and Great Lakes.

Unlike guest staterooms, crew cabins are pretty small and usually located on deck 0, or below the sea level – deck A and B. Most of the crew cabins don't have portholes (windows) – this luxury is reserved for some staff and officers – so for first-time crew members this might be a little confusing.

The average CRUISE LINE monthly salary ranges from approximately ₹ 60,000 per month for Assistant Cook to ₹ 75,000 per month for Security Officer. Salary information comes from 17 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.

What are the four positions of a ship? ›

Forward: Forward on a ship means toward the direction of the bow. Aft: Aft on a ship means toward the direction of the stern. Port: Port refers to the left side of the ship, when facing forward. Starboard: Starboard refers to the right side of the ship, when facing forward.

Crews are usually a group of people who work together on a ship, airplane, or movie — but the word is also a slang term for a group of friends who hang out together — like a crowd or posse.

A skipper (sometimes also serving as the helmansperson, helmsman, or driver) is a person who has command of a boat or watercraft or tug, more or less equivalent to "captain in charge aboard ship." At sea, or upon lakes and rivers, the skipper as shipmaster or captain has command over the whole crew.

A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver) is a person who steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, or spacecraft.

What is Housekeeping on a Cruise? On a cruise, housekeeping is a team of crew members who are responsible for cleaning the cabins, public areas, disposing of waste, and sanitization of the ship. Cruise ships carry thousands of people, so housekeepers are essential for ensuring the guests and crew stay healthy.

The responsibilities of a maître d'hôtel generally include supervising the waiting staff, welcoming guests and assigning tables to them, taking reservations, and ensuring that guests are satisfied.

Butlers will do everything from packing and unpacking your luggage to offering pillow menus, and stocking and re-stocking your ensuite bar with your drink preferences. They'll also bring CDs, books, board games and DVDs to your room.

Average Magsayasay Cruise ship Housekeeper monthly pay in the Philippines is approximately Php 50,000, which is 358% above the national average.

The highest salary in the Merchant Navy is for the post of Captain which is around Rs. 8,65,000 to 20,00,000 per month.

What are the 3 level of responsibility in ship? ›

The levels of responsibility are: management level (applies to senior officers); operational level (applies to junior officers); and support level (applies to ratings forming part of a navigational or engine watch).

The 4^th Engineer as in charge of Purifier, Compressor, and machinery other than main engine, auxiliary engine and boiler, is responsible for: Record keeping of machinery running hours under his charge. For carrying out planned maintenance routine under the supervision of chief or second engineer.

Ocean-view cabins on Princess Cruises ships

With an ocean-view cabin, you get a window looking out to the sea, but not an attached balcony where you can sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Cruise cabins near the elevator or stair access points are some of the noisiest staterooms at sea and their location will lead to a lot of noise during most parts of the night and therefore, should be avoided.

It's called “getting your sea legs,” and it keeps you from crashing into a wall every time the ship bobs up or down. When you get back on shore, you need time to get your land legs back. That usually happens within a few minutes or hours, but it can take up to 2 days.

Alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, flammable liquids, explosives, and dangerous chemicals will not be returned. Prohibited items: Firearms & Ammunition, including realistic replicas. Sharp Objects, including all knives and scissors.

Can I Bring CBD on a Cruise? Since cannabis is still illegal at a Federal level, many cruise lines have prohibited CBD on board their ships. Carnival Cruise Lines and Disney Cruise Lines are both examples of lines where CBD is not tolerated.

Certain cruise lines have rooms designed for full-time living with six month and yearly lease options. Others simply allow you to book out a room for a specified period of time. Certain cruise lines have special programs for retirees.

In fact, following the release of the latest CVSSA statistics, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) commented that the report “shows that allegations of serious crime on board cruise ships remain extremely rare, especially compared to crimes that occur on land.”

Are balcony rooms safe on cruises? ›

Balconies pose a serious risk to passenger safety and have been at the center of many cruise ship accidents. We hear too often about people falling overboard from balcony staterooms, sometimes because the passenger has had too much to drink and other times because foul play was involved.

The best cruise ship deck for many people is a lower deck because less movement will be felt here. However, for the best views, you should choose a higher deck. If you want to avoid taking the elevator, a mid-level deck would be best.

There are three different segments in the industry: luxury, premium, and contemporary. For example, Radisson is the largest in luxury cruises, even though Carnival is the largest in the industry. Disney is a competitor in both land-based vacations and vacation cruises.

In 2021, the cruise market recovered to levels last seen in 2006. In 2019, the global cruise industry welcomed 29.7 million passengers, created jobs for 1.8 million people around the world and contributed over $154 billion to the global economy.

Approximately 200,000 people currently work on cruise ships around the world. Many are drawn to the industry, as it is a way to visit distant places, meet new people, and earn money at the same time.

Yes, you can work onboard a cruise ship if you have a child. A huge percentage of people working on cruise ships have kids. Most of those kids are not onboard though. The majority of crew member that have children have family members at home taking care of them while the crew member works onboard.

As of Nov 19, 2022, the average annual pay for a Cruise Ship Worker in the United States is $48,891 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $23.51 an hour. This is the equivalent of $940/week or $4,074/month.

Do cruise ship employees get free food? Yes, crew members receive free food for working onboard a ship, along with a cabin to sleep in (more on that later). Similar to the guests, crew members have their own buffet style restaurant to get their meals from throughout the day.

Accommodation, Accessibility, Activities, Amenities, and Attractions. People like to do different things when they travel. They come from different cultures, have different likes and dislikes, and of course have different budgets.

What are some unique cruising opportunities? ›

Most people assume that the Titanic was a cruise ship, but this actually isn't true. In fact, the Titanic wasn't even considered a cruise ship at the time it was built; the ship was actually classified as an ocean liner.

Crew members live on cruise ships while they are working onboard, and they have an entire area of the ship just for them. How much different are crew areas from guest areas, and what do these facilities look like? In some cases, crew areas are a lot like guest areas because some crew have guest privileges.

After each contract you will receive approximately 60 days of vacation before your next assignment. Your daily work schedule while onboard will depend on your particular position, but you can expect to work seven days a week and anywhere between 10-13 hours per day.

It's a common misconception that life as a cruise ship worker is just one big holiday. Regardless of the role employees take, they can expect to work hard. Crew members work every day of their contract, taking time off in hours rather than in full days.

Good news for the young at heart, there is no maximum age to work on cruise ships. Unfortunately, the truth is that there are some jobs on board for which applicants over the age of 35 would not be considered. The main concern for the employer is that the job-seeker is fit, both physically and medically.

There is so much pride in cruise ship crew life, both the work and lifestyle. While it's definitely not the easiest travel job, it is the most rewarding.

They know that the more skills they learn and apply, the better they will do their job. That is why most cruise lines employ permanent trainers and human resource managers on their ships and spend money to continually develop training programs for all employees on board.